The first shot is Roxanna at 1850 or so, just
before her marriage; the second was taken at Newton Upper Falls, Massachusetts,
shortly before she died in 1926.

Here’s the story:

When Roxanna’s mother died, she and her
siblings were taken in by relatives (a common practice back in the early
1800s). Roxanna was placed with childless aunt who was, unfortunately, married
to a man who wasn’t particularly fond of children; he eventually tired of the
situation and took her to the Poor Farm and left her there.

The
entire community was outraged.

A man named Prescott Wilder rescued
her from the Poor Farm, took her home; he and his wife raised her. She grew up
as Roxanna Wilder, even though Prescott Wilder never officially adopted her.

13 comments:

What a sad childhood Roxanna had, but she lived to such a great age and must have witnessed so many changes and developments in society over nearly 100 years. I have a photograph of my great grandmother c.1890 and my grandmother c.1907, both with a hand to a cheek, so perhaps it was a favoured pose of the time.

The earlier photo is remarkably fine. As a tintype or daguerreotype it was made in a reversed mirror image, so Roxanna's actual pose was identical with right hand to cheek. If you reverse the image with a simple digital flip, you might recognize more details.

Hooray for Mr. Prescott Wilder and lucky, lucky Roxanna! That first photograph of the younger Roxanna is very similar in both pose and framing to a photo I have of my paternal great great- grandmother, Lucy Chase Taylor.

Deb, that second pose in later life with the roses in the vase beside her has always reminded me of a story told to me by my mother, her grand daughter. When my mother was a baby, she was being held by Roxanna one day when a bee circled around their heads. In attempting to swat the bee away from the baby, Roxanna accidentally hit one of the rose stems, and one of the thorns stabbed her finger. The tiny wound bled some and soon became infected, with blood poisoning starting to advance up her arm. Medical intervention cured the infection, but not before the finger became stiffened and bent for the rest of her life. The young children of the family were a bit apprehensive of this old lady with the crooked finger pointed in their direction (A witch, perhaps?) As a child myself, we had roses in our back yard, and my mother constantly reminded me to be careful of the roses. It was not until my adult life when she told me of this childhood story of hers that I put two and two together! The later pose does not seem to show which finger was affected, but I always look again to find it.

Deb, that second pose in later life with the roses in the vase beside her has always reminded me of a story told to me by my mother, her grand daughter. When my mother was a baby, she was being held by Roxanna one day when a bee circled around their heads. In attempting to swat the bee away from the baby, Roxanna accidentally hit one of the rose stems, and one of the thorns stabbed her finger. The tiny wound bled some and soon became infected, with blood poisoning starting to advance up her arm. Medical intervention cured the infection, but not before the finger became stiffened and bent for the rest of her life. The young children of the family were a bit apprehensive of this old lady with the crooked finger pointed in their direction (A witch, perhaps?) As a child myself, we had roses in our back yard, and my mother constantly reminded me to be careful of the roses. It was not until my adult life when she told me of this childhood story of hers that I put two and two together! The later pose does not seem to show which finger was affected, but I always look again to find it.

That first photo is stunning. Rich textures and a gorgeous face. I wonder if in life she often took that pose across the table from someone, hand to chin. Did she stare at her eventual husband like this and completely make him tongue tied?

At last!

In the early 1800s, five families settle on the Eastern River in Pittston, Maine. Together, they build a strong and lasting agricultural neighborhood based on New England values of community and reciprocity. Both fiction and social history, The Eastern flows through the experiences and truths we share with those who have lived before us.